“Each summer we come here, some things are always new; some things don’t change come what may…”
I nominate “Each Summer” as the theme song for this year’s LOL Weekend. (Depending on your perspective or the moment, LOL stands for Labors of Love, Little Old Ladies, Laughing Out Loud, or all of the above at the same time. ) I have three reasons for my nomination, related to those three weekend titles.
Every year, Ghany Alums and devoted friends gather for a weekend in early June to tackle the “honey-do” projects of opening camp. These include planting the annual flowers in hanging pots and flower beds around camp, painting walls or canoes or hammock posts or what have you, and general cleaning and sprucing up. The list of Labors changes, and some things are always new. This year Cowbell Alley got an interior makeover, including paint and new blinds and curtains. (I wish we’d thought to make an episode of Fixer Upper for camp’s TikTok.)
We also were honored to be present for the dedication of the new JCs of 1972 Water Fountain by Memory Rock. The fountain is a beautiful (and useful!) physical gift to camp, embodying what that influential group of camp leaders contributed for many years as campers and counselors. “Each Summer” is a song they introduced to camp, and it mentions Memory Rock as “ever present year by year.” We sang “Each Summer” as the ribbon was cut. I thought about how long that tune has been echoing off these mountains, and thought I could just hear the voices of friends not present, and almost hear the voices of Ghany girls to come.
In fine Ghany spirit, the “Little Old Ladies” are an inclusive group, welcoming members of any age or gender. Our gray hairs may be new (or newish) but our giggles are the same. LOL is a reunion of sorts, to be sure, but it’s much more than just getting to be with your tentmates from back in the day. (That would be reason enough to come and get paint on your farmer jeans.) There is something very special about being with people who knew you and loved you while you were in the thick of becoming you. But like MiniCamp counseling, it’s also a chance to make an instant friend with someone from a different camp era, with whom you know you have in common all those things that don’t change, come what may.
As counselors or Green Team members, we learned how to make the magic happen. At the time, it often felt hard, and we knew it was a big responsibility. And at moments, it was joyously exhilarating. When we saw a camper (or a counselor) succeed at something new and hard, or be wonderstruck by mist in the mountains or late afternoon sun on the river or a luna moth, or figure out the right thing to say to a struggling friend, emotion would overflow as a tear, a whoop, a song, or a belly laugh. We can’t do that directly at camp now, but we can facilitate the magic in little ways at LOL.
Alleghany, I realized long after my counselor days, is an intentionally created and cultivated community. Its traditions and values and “how we do it heres” are what shape its young people. Back in the day, I would have said my mission as a counselor was to make and keep camp camp for the next generation. What I can now name is that at camp, you are free to test and expand and revel in your sense of who you are, and know that you will not just be accepted, but valued. At camp, helping someone else just makes everything better and more fun, so asking for help is easy. At camp, we don’t sweat the small material stuff, and we do sweat the emotional stuff and have each other’s backs, especially when that’s hard. I used to think that I couldn’t bring camp back across the river with me at the end of the summer. But I slowly came to understand that in fact, a Ghany girl finds ways to make camp-like moments happen wherever and whenever she can. Coming back to the Tents Where It Happened at LOL felt like a booster shot to me, renewing that awareness.
No matter how many plants I set out in beds or tables full of freecycle supplies I sort, I get more from LOL than I ever can give. So it has been for me with every camp job since hopping; some things don’t change, come what may. And to my 2026 LOL friends, here is a thank you song, for being kind to me (another camp classic introduced by the JCs of 1972).
-Carson Gleberman, Camp Alleghany Alumni
